Edward Chen, the most recent former president of the White House Correspondents Association, says the decision to give Fox "News" a front-row seat in the White House briefing room is a "travesty of a decision". The seat became vacant when Helen Thomas resigned over controversial remarks about Israel. Chen was responding to questions about News Corp.'s $1 million dollar donation to the Republican Governors' Association.
"The vacancy was created because of an ideological conflict," he said, referring to Thomas' anti-Israel comments that led to her resignation. "To fill the vacancy with another cloud of ideological conflict was most unfortunate and inappropriate."
Chen's words are all the more striking in light of the timid approach taken by one of his predecessors.
Ron Hutcheson, another former WHCA president who served from 2004-2005 while covering the White House for Knight-Ridder, said "a big political contribution by any news organization raises some questions. Clearly the management of Fox has political views. It raises questions and I don't know the answer."
Even Hutcheson's statement was relatively bold, compared to former WHCA presidents Ann Compton of ABC News and Mark Smith of the Associated Press, both of whom refused to comment. Two more former WHCA presidents, Steve Scully and Jennifer Loven, could not be reached for comment. And as for the current WHCA president, David Jackson of USA Today?
Asked about the problems that could be created by News Corp.'s $1 million donation, he added, "all we did is judge the White House performance by Fox, they do a good job. We called it like we saw it. The board reached a consensus. That is the way it happens."
Fair enough. The WHCA called it as it saw it and the WHCA considers Fox to be doing a good job. As fair and balanced as one would expect from a head of the WHCA, which makes Chen's anomalous professionalism all the more praiseworthy.